


We Are the Kids

by DocGrey



Category: Red vs. Blue
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, F/F, F/M, I'll update the tags as I go, M/M, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-16
Updated: 2016-01-19
Packaged: 2018-05-01 23:11:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,716
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5224601
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DocGrey/pseuds/DocGrey
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Maybe it was destiny that she looked over to a small storefront. Maybe it was fate that her eyes fell on a neatly decorated sign that advertised "Chorus Cafe" in tan letters. Maybe it was meant to be that there was a break in the crowd, giving her a clear path to the building.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

"See you later, Lina."

Carolina raised her hand in a quick wave and nodded goodbye to her coworker, Washington, as she headed out of the gym. She pushed open the heavy door with little effort and walked into the cloudy afternoon. The air was cool on her still slightly damp hair and she resisted the urge to shiver as she set her brisk pace down the sidewalk. The sun was nowhere to be seen as gusts of wind raced down the streets.

Grumpy strangers walked beside her, jostling for room on the slightly crowded walkway. Carolina kept her head down, only occasionally glancing up to avoid running into someone. The atmosphere of the city was one of a foggy Monday, where everything dripped and sighed. Everyone else was wearing coats and a few even carried umbrellas. Carolina mentally scoffed at them, as she was perfectly comfortable in her leggings and tank top.

Almost as if it where on cue, a big, fat raindrop fell from them sky and landed directly in front of her. Carolina sighed.

The drops of water came slowly at first, scattering themselves randomly throughout the city. Carolina tried to keep hope that it would just be a small spat and that she could still make it home dry, when the rain started to come down harder, pattering against the pavement. Carolina could feel the weight of several raindrops as they splashed onto her hair, wasting all the time that she had spent blowdrying it. She looked up into the rain, searching for a place to hide out until the storm passed or York could pick her up.

Maybe it was destiny that she looked over to a small storefront. Maybe it was fate that her eyes fell on a neatly decorated sign that advertised "Chorus Cafe" in tan letters. Maybe it was meant to be that there was a break in the crowd, giving her a clear path to the building.

Regardless of whether it was a coincidence or something else, Carolina was getting wet and needed somewhere to wait out the rain. With a sigh that resigned herself to getting home late and delaying a much needed glass of wine, Carolina pushed her way over to the cafe and ducked inside.

The cafe was small, but still managed to be well lit and cozy. The tile floor gleamed as if it had recently been cleaned, so Carolina took care to wipe her sneakers on the doormat. Tables and cushy chairs were scattered across the room and quiet music played in the background. The air smelled of coffee and baking cookies, filling the small cafe with a warmth that reminded Carolina of home. The room seemed to follow a color scheme of tan and the occasional shade of blue or red.

She stepped up to the unstaffed counter, staring at the menu with hunger. She figured that she might as well treat herself if she was going to be stuck in here. There was no way she could resist that wonderful smell for very long.

"Hi, what can I get you?"

Carolina hadn't even heard her approaching. When she looked down, Carolina was faced with a tall woman that looked exactly how the cafe felt. Her skin was dark and rich and she had a look in her brown eyes that showed wisdom. She had long dreadlocks that had been tied back out of her face, which was set in a serious expression. The ame tag on her chest read, "Hi! My name is Kimball."

Carolina surprised herself and gave Kimball a rare smile. "Hey. I'm not really sure what I want, what would you recommend?" She directed her gaze to the glass, where displays of baked goods were laid out.

"It depends on what you like. If you like fruit, I would recommend the blueberry cookies, but if chocolate is more your thing, then we have fresh cupcakes." Kimball's voice was smooth and even, adding even more to the calm feeling in the room.

"I guess I'm having a chocolate cupcake, then." Carolina's mouth was watering at the very thought. "Could I get that with the chocolate frosting too?"

Kimball nodded and pulled out the cupcake to frost it. "Indulging after working out?" She asked after a quick glance at Carolina's outfit. She started to skillfully layer frosting onto the cupcake with quick, smooth movements.

Carolina laughed lightly. "Absolutely. I don't indulge nearly enough, so I might as well ruin one days worth of work."

Kimball smiled as she set the bag of frosting down. "For here or to go?"

With a glance out the windows at the front, Carolina responded, "Here. I don't think that rain is going to let up anytime soon."

"Well, you're welcome to take shelter here for as long as you want." Kimball placed the cupcake in a cardboard tray while Carolina fished some money out of her bag, dropping more money than was necessary into the tip jar. Kimball gave her a warm smile as she took her cupcake over to one of the tables by the window.

Carolina bit into her cupcake and nearly gasped out loud. She had always been a complete sucker for chocolate and this definitely took the cake. It was the perfect balance between dry and moist and the frosting was creamy and light. The wrapper was empty in embarrassingly record time, leaving Carolina full and satisfied, but still wanting more.

She walked back up to the counter and patiently waited for Kimball to finish cutting a cake into slices. Carolina watched as the woman stuck out her tongue in concentration as her carefully ran the knife through the cake. When Carolina managed to get her attention, Kimball looked surprised, then smiled teasingly. "You have a bit of frosting on your nose."

"What? Oh, shit." Carolina rubbed frantically at her nose in an attempt to clean off the chocolate. Of course she would have something on her face when she went to talk to the pretty cashier.

Kimball laughed and Carolina was almost glad that her embarassment had caused that beautiful sound. "Here, let me get it."

Before Carolina could register what was happening, Kimball was reaching across the counter and swiping her thumb over the tip of Carolina nose. "There you go."

Carolina, who usually prided herself on her ability to stay composed, could feel her cheeks heating up. "Thanks," she managed to get out. "Could I get another one of those cupcakes to go?" She hurried to change the topic and tried to ignore the way Kimball licked the frosting off her thumb.

"Sure thing."

Before she could stop herself, Carolina started to speak. "I'm Carolina, by the way. I'm kinda getting the feeling that I'm going to be in here pretty often."

Before she kick herself for being so awkward, Kimball glanced up at her with a small smile as she boxed up the cupcake. "I'm Vannessa, but everyone here just calls me Kimball because they don't want me to fire them."

Carolina raised an eyebrow quizzically, then put two and two together. "You own this place?"

"Yup. I've been running it for almost three years now." Carolina accepted the box that she was handed and gave back the correct amount of money.

"Well, I already love it here. I'll make sure to reccomend you to all of my friends." Carolina dropped her change into the tip jar and waved goodbye to Kimball, who's smile had grown considerably larger in the too short of time that they had spoken.

~*~

"I don't know why you insist on walking home after you've worked out all day. It would be way quicker if you just caught a cab," York greeted her as she finally entered the apartment.

Carolina toed off her shoes and rolled her eyes at York, even though he was in the living room and couldn't see her. He told her something along those lines nearly every day when she came in.

"Well, you'll be happy I walked today, because I found an awesome cafe. I brought you back a cupcake."

York was instantly at her side, looking into the decorated box with the glee of a young child who had just been told they were getting a puppy. "Have I ever mentioned just how much I love you?"

Carolina shoved the box at him. "Yeah, yeah. Here's your damn cupcake."

"Where'd you get this from?" York asked before unceremoniously shoving half the pastry into his mouth.

Carolina wrinkled her nose as a few crumbs dropped onto their relatively clean carpet. "I got it from a cute little place called Chorus Cafe. And you better clean that up."

York mumbled his affirmation, sending a spray of crumbs in her direction. With a grunt of disgust, Carolina walked deeper into the apartment to get away from him.

"Holy shit," York exclaimed, once he had chewed and swallowed. "You better be going back there, this is fucking awesome."

Carolina set her bag on the kitchen counter and dropped her keys next to them. "Go there yourself. I'm not going to enable you by bringing you food every day."

York didn't reply, but instead trotted into the kitchen with the other half of the cupcake in his mouth.

"You know, sometimes I wonder why I agreed to be your roommate," Carolina told him.

"Because I'm your best friend?" York tried to give her puppy dog eyes with his mouth half full, but failed miserably. Carolina snorted and walked away while shaking her head.

"You're an idiot!" She called out before she shut the door to her room.

The usual reply came quickly. "You're a bitch!"

Carolina couldn't help but smile at her best friend. The two of them had known each other ever since they were little kids with scraped knees and grass stains on their shirts. Carolina had saved York from a couple of neighborhood bullies and she hadn't been able to get rid of him ever since then.

With a groan, Carolina stretched her arms out, feeling the cramps in her muscles after her workout. She had gotten used to the sensation of aching limbs and sore muscles long ago. In fact, there was something satisfying about the burn that would light up her body after a long day at work.

Carolina pulled her tank top up and over her shoulders, eager to get out of the clothes she had spent all day training in. The skin tight leggings came off less easily, but Carolina eventually managed to get her legs free. She tossed the damp clothes into the hamper, promising herself that she would do laundry later.

Before she did anything else, Carolina freed herself of her sports bra and dressed in sweatpants and a loose T-shirt. As she settled in her computer chair for a relaxing evening, there was a knock on the door.

"Hey, how does take out and beer sound for dinner?" York asked her through the wood.

"Make it take out and wine and you have a deal," she called back.

"Alright, I'll order it."

Carolina cracked her neck as she turned on her computer and settled into her chair, ready for a lazy night. Before she could even pull up Netflix, her phone started ringing.

She groaned once she saw who it was. But she could never bring herself to ignore her father, so she answered it anyways, wondering what he wanted this time.

"Carolina," the southern accent that she was all too familiar with came through the speakers.

"Hi, dad." She tried to make herself sound interested, but she was pretty sure she fell flat.

Her father ignored her response. "I'm calling to make sure you got the invitation for Leonard's and Beth's engagement party."

At the second name, Carolina immediately bristled defensively. She tried to choke down her jealousy for the love that her father showed her brother's fiance. "Yes, dad. I'm going to be there on Saturday."

In his usual manner of brief conversations, Carolina's father hung up the phone without even saying goodbye. Carolina tightened her jaw in annoyance as she set down her phone.

She had been trying to forgot about the fact that her little brother had proposed to that awful woman, but the universe kept finding ways to remind her. Her own father acted as if he loved Texas more than he loved her. Everyone talked about how talented and great Tex was at training, while completely ignoring Carolina and all the hard work she did. Even York admired her openly.

Trying to tamp down her feelings of frustration, Carolina turned back to her computer to finish pulling up Netflix. Thirty minutes into the episode of her show, there was another knock on her door.

"Food's here," York announced.

Carolina pushed herself up to join him at their dining table, which was now full of take out boxes.

"I wasn't sure what you were in the mood for, so I pretty much got all of it."

"Thanks." Carolina reached for the container of ginger chicken as York poured her a glass of wine.

"Long day?" York asked as he opened a beer.

Carolina laughed tiredly. "What gave you that idea?"

York smiled empathetically at her. "Having Tucker as a client usually makes it a long day."

"Oh God, if I hear one more comment about how he knows a better way to burn calories, then I'm going to hit him."

"Just let me know before you do it, I'd love to watch that," York said with a chuckle.

Carolina didn't resist smiling. York always knew the best way to make her feel better. "Wash says hi, by the way." She took a sip of her wine, trying to look as innocent as possible.

York bit his lip to stop a grin. "Idiot. He could've just texted me."

Carolina stifled her own smile. "Mhm. You know, him and North seemed to miss you today."

York groaned, as if he knew exactly what she was thinking. It only took a few seconds of her staring at him for York to crack. "Alright, alright! I'll tell you what happened, since you obviously know something went down."

She waited for York to continue with an eyebrow raised. He frowned at her expectant expression. "I hate you. Ugh, okay. You know last week when I didn't come back and told you it was because I was visiting Delta? Well... Wash and I kinda spent the night at North's house."

"I fucking knew it!" Carolina grinned at York. "You three have been giving each other lovey eyes all week, South and I knew something was going on."

York scowled. "I'm not that easy to read, am I? I mean, I really like both of them and I don't want to fuck it up because i'm a dumbass who can't hide shit."

"Nah, don't worry. I've known you for forever, I know what happens when you get a crush," Carolina reassured him.

York sat back in his seat, pushing away his empty take out box. "Thanks, Lina."

She stood up to clear off the table. "Mhm. Use protection, okay?"

It was only because of her reflexes that she managed to dodge the chopstick that was thrown at her head.


	2. Chapter Two

Carolina slung her bag over her shoulder in one smooth movement, trying her very hardest to ignore the annoying voice that followed her. She had been attempting to ignore Church ever since he had first learned to talk, but his high pitched voice made him nearly impossible to forgot about.

"Dad is such a dick. I mean, who the fuck even has an engagement party? I'm gonna seem like a rich asshole. I'm starting to regret this whole proposing thing, it's more trouble than it's worth," her brother whined.

"Don't let Tex here you say that," Carolina told him as she walked out the door.

"Whatever. I'm pretty sure she feels the same. I think she's starting to regret saying yes." Church raised his hand to wave down a taxi. Within seconds, he had managed to get one pulled up to the curb. "You wanna come?"

Carolina was tempted to accept the ride, but she remembered that she had planned to stop by Chorus Cafe after work. It had become her little tradition to stop in the shop for a coffee and an occasional snack ever since she had discovered the place a couple of days ago. She shook her head at her little brother. "No thanks. I'll see you tomorrow."

Church shrugged and got into the cab with a wave as Carolina started off down the sidewalk. It was earlier than the time she had gotten out on that fateful rainy day, so only a few people brushed past her as she walked to the little cafe.

The air had gotten considerably colder than it had been, in that sudden autumn way of going from warm to freezing. Carolina had taken to wearing a jacket over her tank top to help keep her warm whenever she went outside. With each breath she exhaled, a small cloud of condensation appeared in front her her, like dust escaping her lungs.

The cheerful jingling of the bell on the door made Carolina smile as she stepped inside Chorus Cafe. The only other person in the store was the cashier, a college aged guy with orange hair that was staring at his phone.

Carolina walked up to the counter and cleared her throat. "Hey, Bitters. Is Kimball here right now?" Even though she had only been going here for a short amount of time, Carolina was already starting to get to know the few workers.

Jensen, Smith, Palomo, and Bitters were all apart of the main crew. Each of them had skills that were important to the success of the cafe, despite their eccentric personalities.

Bitters, who despised doing any amount of work, stared up at her with exasperation. Then he turned his head toward the door that led to the kitchen. "Kimball!" He yelled for his boss.

A few seconds passed before Kimball came out the door, spilling a wonderful smell put into the cafe. "What, Bitters?"

Bitters just grunted and jerked his head in Carolina's direction.

Kimball's annoyed look at her employee melted into a smile. "Welcome back."

Carolina gave her a smile in return. "Hey."

"Bitters, could you watch the kitchen?" Kimball ordered more than asked, so Bitters walked into the back with a loud sigh. "Sorry about him. I promise, he's really good at making coffee. Otherwise I wouldn't be able to keep him around." Kimball opened the glass to the pastries. "What can I get you?"

Carolina pointed toward a plate of apple pie. "Can I get a slice of that, please?"

Kimball gave her a satisfied nod. "Good choice. It's one of my favorites."

"If you like it, then it must be amazing." Carolina smiled as Kimball dished up her pie. "You know, if I come in here everyday, then I'm going to become a hypocrite."

Kimball raised an eyebrow as she accepted Carolina's money. "How so?"

"I'm a personal trainer and am always telling people to try to avoid too many sugary foods. I guess I can't even follow my own advice," Carolina said.

Kimball laughed. "Great. Now I'm going to feel bad about serving you."

"I promise I'll only get coffee from now on." Carolina held up her right hand in an oath and accepted the plate of pie with her left.

"Enjoy," Kimball smiled, before bustling back into the kitchen and pushing Bitters out.

Carolina took her usual spot at the table beside the large window. People walked past her as she pulled out her phone and scrolled through her texts. She left the one from her father unread and instead selected York's contact.

_Do you want anything from Chorus??_

She typed out her message and hit send, then went back into her conversations. Her thumb hovered uncertainly over her father's name, before she tapped it as fast as she could, as if she wanted to avoid stopping herself from looking at the text.

_Carolina, I'm messaging you to apologize for my actions earlier today. I hope that you can move past this incident for the greater good of your mother's business. Dr. Church._

Carolina's eyes stung as she read the text. Her father had humiliated her in front of all the trainers today, how could he expect her to forgive him? And yet, Carolina's heart ached for him. She ached for his love and approval.

Thankfully before she could think much more about it, York's reply came. Carolina smiled. York could help her without even knowing he was doing it.

_fuck yea, get me 3 brownies pls_

_Oh my god York that is way too much for one person._

Despite her answer, Carolina brought her empty plate up to the counter to give to Bitters. "Could I get three brownies to go, too?"

Bitters gave her a look of hate, but reached for the brownies with an exaggerated sigh. Carolina's phone buzzed, causing her to glance down at the screen.

_wash nd north are over. i promised them treats_

Carolina rolled her eyes at her phone before paying for the brownies. She dropped a five into the tip jar, which perked Bitters up a bit, before walking out the door and back to her apartment. By the time she was home, Carolina had completely forgotten about her father's text to her.

"I brought food!" She called out once she had gotten inside.

"See? This is why I live with her!" York's voice came from the living room, so she made her way over there with the bag of brownies.

The three friends, or something more, were sprawled out on the couch. York's favorite movie played on the TV, but it didn't look like any of them were paying much attention to it. Wash was in the middle, curled up into North's side. York had his head in Wash's lap and his feet dangled over the side of the couch. Usually Carolina wouldn't have batted an eye at the sight, but now she could see the meaning behind North's arm tightening around Wash's shoulder and the way Wash's hands ran through York's hair.

She tossed the bag to York, who caught it deftly. "There you go, losers."

"Thanks, Carolina." North gave her a smooth smile as York and Wash started to fight over who got the bigger brownie.

Carolina nodded at her coworkers and went back to her room, after a quick stop by the fridge for a bottle of beer. She settled down in her computer chair with a deep sigh as she once again, pulled out her phone,

Instead of checking Snapchat, like she had planned, her attention was caught by the last page she had been on. Her father's text stood out to her as if it had been written in big, bold letters.

Carolina gnawed of her bottom lip as she paused, trying to figure out her response. She took a minute to type it out and hit send, but once she did, Carolina set her phone down with a sigh and walked away from it.

_Thank you, dad. It's alright. I'll see you tomorrow._

~*~

"Holy shit, where the fuck is my tie?" York practically screamed from his room.

Carolina stopped struggling with getting her earring in to yell back. "Check the bottom drawer!"

After a few moments, York burst into her room holding a gold dress tie. "How the fuck do I put this thing on?"

She turned to him with a look of exasperation, but reached out to take the tie from him. "You really should know how to do this by now," she said as she hooked the tie around York's neck and started to knot it.

"I know, I know," York muttered as if he were a child that was being scolded.

Carolina pulled the tie tight. "Alright, there you go." York was out of the room before she could even finish her sentence.

She turned back to her bathroom mirror and went to try again with her silver earrings. She was almost completely done getting ready for Church's engagement party, but was running out of time to get there. Carolina still had to find her high heels and put on some lipstick before they could leave.

The earring finally slipped into place and Carolina grabbed for her tube of dark red lipstick. It only took her a couple of practiced swipes for her to put it on. She leaned back and looked over herself as a whole to make sure she looked okay.

Her red hair had been released from its usual ponytail and was falling over her shoulder in waves. The eye makeup had taken her close to forty minutes to get perfect, but the smoky eye shadow and thick eyeliner made her green eyes look even more intense than usual.

Carolina's cyan dress swirled around her knees as she walked out into her room to search for the shoes that she needed.

It ended up taking her and York a total of thirty minutes to finish getting ready and get over to the hotel where the party was being held. By the time they proved that they were on the guest list and snuck in as quietly as they could, The Director was finishing up giving a speech.

"I love Beth just as if she was my own daughter and I'm sure Allison would agree with me if she were still here today. I wish my son and soon to be daughter-in-law the best."

Polite applause broke out from the small crowd. Carolina had to force herself to clap along after some nudging from York. Church stepped forward, looking just as irritated as she felt. Despite herself, Carolina's heart swelled as Church took Tex's hand and gave them all a partly genuine smile. "You guys can go eat and drink now."

York disappeared into the crowd after saying something about going to find Washington and North. Carolina sighed and twisted her bracelet as she looked around for someone she wanted to talk to. She quickly turned away from a couple of her brother's friends, hoping they didn't see her. She wasn't in the mood to deal with Tucker and Caboose right now.

"You were late."

Carolina whirled around and came face to face with her father. She tried to quickly come up with an excuse. "We got caught in traffic, I'm sorry."

The Director's eyes narrowed. "Leave the house earlier next time. You know I do not tolerate tardiness, Carolina. I expect better from you."

Carolina's gaze dropped to the floor. "I'm sorry," she repeated, her cheeks burning.

"Hm. Please tell your brother and Beth congratulations." With that, he stalked off, leaving Carolina standing alone.

She looked up and her eyes fell on the towering form of her coworker and close friend, Maine. Standing next to him was North's other half, South. Grateful for someone to talk to, Carolina made her way over to them. "Hey."

Maine just nodded in response and South scowled. "The Director talked for fucking ever. I thought we were never going to be freed. Now the food lines are super long."

"I'll go get you something," Carolina offered, happy at the idea of having something to do with herself instead of just standing there awkwardly.

"I would marry you if you got me some of that wine." South grinned at the thought of having alcohol.

"You better not, because then we'll have to go through all this again. I'll grab you some sweets, Maine," Carolina said.

The line for the pastries was surprisingly nonexistent, so she walked up to the table to look over the options. Maine had a surprisingly large sweet tooth, so she would have to get something ridiculously sugary to satisfy him.

"Carolina?"

Carolina looked up at her name being said from across the table. Standing right in front of her was a surprised Kimball. The height difference between them had been closed by Carolina's heels and Kimball was wearing a tan apron, instead of her usual blue. The two of them stared at each other for a moment before Carolina smiled.

"Hey! What are you doing here?"

"I was hired to cater for this event," Kimball gestured to the table of baked goods and Carolina suddenly felt like an idiot for asking. Of course that's why Kimball was here, why else would she turn up at her brother's engagement party? "What about you?" Kimball asked as she handed someone a blondie on a paper plate.

Carolina pointed over to where Church was standing. "This is my brother's engagement party. I'm kind of obligated to be here."

Kimball craned her neck to stare at Church, who was sulking behind Tex. "Really? I don't see many similarities between you two."

Carolina grinned as Church's scowl grew deeper. "Yeah, he takes after our dad. Everyone's always said I look like more like mom."

When Carolina turned back to look at Kimball, her face had regained its ever serious expression. "I heard the story your father told about her. She sounded like an amazing woman, I'm so sorry."

With a slightly forced smile, Carolina shrugged. "Oh, don't worry about it. She passed away when I was nine, I don't remember much of her." She was lying, of course. A day didn't go by where Carolina didn't think about the warm voice of her mother reading her bedtimes stories or the tickling sensation of her mother's hair as she leaned over her to kiss her goodnight.

Kimball gave her a look that showed she didn't believe Carolina, but thankfully, didn't push it. Her gaze turned over to Texas, who was leering at Grif. "Your brother's fiance looks... nice."

Carolina couldn't stop the burst of laughter that came out of her. "Yeah, sure. If you think sharks are nice."

"You don't like her?" Kimball leaned against the table after she served a young boy a plateful of chocolate chip cookies.

"Nope. She took my position at the gym after working there for only  a month. Even my own father likes her more than me," Carolina sighed.

Kimball frowned at her. "I'm sure that's not true."

Carolina shook her head with a small, sad smile. "I wish it weren't. But I don't want to bother you with my problems while you're working."

"It's not like I have much better to do other then just standing around," Kimball shrugged. "I've been told that I'm a good listener."

Carolina stared at Kimball for a moment to make sure she was serious, then started talking. "Well, Tex and Church met about three years ago. They were on again off again until August of last year. Then, Texas comes into our lives and suddenly she's the perfect child that my father never had. She gets the highest paying position, she gets the best clients, she gets the most praise. Suddenly, my mother would love her too. It's ridiculous." The words that Carolina didn't know she had been bottling up all spilled out to the woman she barely knew.

Instead of being awkward, like Carolina had expected, Kimball gave her an empathetic look. "I understand. I was adopted by a couple that kept getting kids after me. I love my fathers, but with each child they got, they seemed to forget more and more about me. I'm sure they didn't mean to make me feel isolated, but they did."

The answer surprised Carolina. After a beat of silence, she frowned at Kimball. "You should really tell them about that."

"So should you," Kimball pointed out to her.

"That's different. My dad, he... he expects so much of me. He expects me to be perfect and even then I wouldn't be as good as Tex."

Kimball gave her a small, sincere smile. "Well, I think it'd be pretty hard to be better than you."

"Thanks, Kimball. You're great," Carolina grinned at her new friend. Apparently she shared York's ability to lift her spirits with one sentence. "Oh! I almost forgot! Can I get one of those cupcakes?"

"Sure thing." Kimball quickly handed her a vanilla cupcake with black and blue frosting. "Here you go."

"Thanks, Vanessa. It was nice seeing you," With a wave, Carolina set off to go find Maine and South.

"What the fuck took you so long? And where's my wine?" South demanded on her arrival.

Carolina's eyes went wide as she realized her mistake. "Shit, sorry South. I'll go get it now."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow the director is a dick


	3. Chapter Three

"You're hyping this place up quite a lot, you know. I better be really impressed," York poked Carolina in the ribs as they walked side by side down the sidewalk.

She returned the gesture with a nudge from her elbow. "You've had their food before, dumbass. You practically came when you had that cupcake," Carolina responded with the teasing tone that only York and her brother deserved.

York snorted. "I have very low standards when it comes to sugar."

"And boys."

Carolina easily dodged the elbow that snapped out to jab her. She skipped back over to York's side, snickering at the playful glare he gave her.

The easy friendship between them hadn't happened naturally. When Carolina had first met York when she was younger, she had found him very annoying. York had clung to her like an painful burr after she saved him from a group of kids who bullied anyone they thought was weak. And as long as he was with Carolina, York was strong. It took years of arguing and cold silences before the two loved each other.

York had been there when Carolina's mother died. This event was really what brought the two together. York stuck by Carolina's side even after she screamed and sobbed at him. For months, and even years, after Allison's death, York was there to help Carolina support the weight. He still gave her a shoulder to cry on whenever she needed it. As much as they teased each other, both of them would fiercely protect defend the other.

"Do you need me to remind you about the Wyoming thing?'' York looked over at her with a sly grin.

Carolina shot him a frown. "You just did, thanks. And I thought you promised not to bring that up again."

"Yeah, sure," York scoffed, much to Carolina's displeasure. "When Florida stops trying to get you two back together, I'll stop mentioning it."

"There was never a 'together,' we banged like, twice nearly a year ago. I don't know why Flowers is still so caught up on that." Carolina shook her head as they approached Chorus Cafe.

York pushed open the door for her. "Well, you know Florida. He's always trying to get people together and to create drama at the gym."

"I don't think he needs to help with that." Carolina gave him an eye roll as she walked up to the counter. She looked up at Kimball with a smile. "Hey, Kimball."

"Morning, Carolina. How are you doing?" Kimball smiled back and reached over to open the glass case. "And what can I get you today?"

Carolina looked over the delicious smelling pastries, trying to ignore her rumbling stomach. "Can I get one of those muffins?"

"Sure. Chocolate, cranberry, or blueberry?" Kimball grabbed a sheet of wax paper and her hand hovered over the selection of muffins. York pressed closer to the case, his eyes the size of dinner plates.

"Blueberry, please," she gestured to the platter of blueberry muffins. As Kimball grabbed the biggest one, Carolina turned to York. "What do you want to get?"

York shrugged. "There are so many choices, I have no idea what to get."

Carolina rolled her eyes at Kimball. "This is the idiot I choose to live with."

When Kimball gave her a polite smile in return, York finally pointed towards a pan of brownies that was decorated with a colorful array of sprinkles. "Can I have, like, three of those?"

"Oh my god, York. I'm not paying for all of that." She stared at him with exasperation as Kimball laid the excess amount of brownies out onto a plate. York simply pulled out his wallet and stepped forward to hand Kimball his credit card.

York gave her his classic winning grin, that on anyone else made her want to trust them. On her best friend, though, it made her slightly suspicious. "No worries, Lina. I'll be the one to pay for my own destruction. Even if it's gonna cost me a couple hours of cardio."

"These are Palomo's speciality. Trust me, they're worth it," Kimball said as she handed the plates over to their respective owners. "Enjoy!"

"Thanks, Kimball," Carolina waved with her free hand as she guided York over to an empty table by the window.

As he took his seat, York leaned forward with a grin. "She knows your name?"

Carolina shrugged as she started to peel the paper wrapper of off her muffin. "I come here pretty much everyday for coffee. Sometimes I'll get something to eat."

York gave a sly glance toward Kimball. "You know, she's kind of cute."

Carolina looked up from her muffin to glance over to Kimball, then back to York. "I didn't think you would be in the market so soon. Did you break up with them already?"

"Hey, I can still admire the menu. Just not order from it," York winked at her before taking a huge bite from one of his brownies. "Besides, she is really cute."

"Don't talk with your mouth full, it's disgusting." Carolina glared at her friend with fake hatred.

York swallowed. "You're so straight, it's disgusting," he said in a mocking tone.

Carolina rolled her eyes as he refilled his mouth with brownie. She couldn't help but glance over at Kimball to see what she was doing, or so she told herself. Kimball was deep in concentration as she carefully wrote something down. Carolina did have to admire the loose bun that Kimball's dreds had been pulled into and the careful gold eyeshadow that she knew had to have taken a while to get so perfect. When Kimball suddenly moved to briskly walk to the counter behind her, Carolina jolted back to stare down at her muffin. When she slowly looked back up, Kimball was using a rolling pin to smooth out some type of dough.

"Have Church and Tex picked colors yet? I remember they were arguing about it," York's voice made Carolina suddenly look back over, hoping she didn't have a surprised look on her face. Luckily, York was concentrating on his second brownie and didn't notice the deer-in-the-headlights expression.

She nodded, eager to change the subject, though she wasn't sure from what. "Yeah, they finally settled on light blue and black."

York wiped his mouth off with his sleeve. "Thank god they finally picked. I thought they were going to call the wedding off over that."

"Dad made Church choose. He said that he wasn't paying for the wedding if Church wouldn't agree with Tex." Carolina scowled and took a much bigger bite out of her muffin than was reasonable.

"I'm sure that went over well," York sighed.

Carolina snorted. "Yup. Church is still bitching about it."

"When isn't Church bitching about something?" York leaned over to her side of the table to snatch a napkin. "He'll move on to something else soon. Maybe the florist will mix up some of the flowers or they don't have the frosting in the right flavor."

"Jesus Christ," she groaned and brought her hands to her cheeks. "This wedding thing is gonna kill all of us before it actually happens."

"Not me," York popped the last of his second brownie into his mouth. "I'll be the one to give the eulogy at your funeral."

Carolina brushed the crumbs off of her lap. "Make sure you say how much of a saint I was for putting up with all this shit from my brother and father."

"Yes, ma'am," York grinned as he gave her a two fingered salute. Carolina rolled her eyes and leaned back in her seat as she watched York finish his last brownie.

"We can never take South here," she decided.

York laughed with his mouth full, sending a spray of crumbs in her direction. After he swallowed and swept the crumbs away, he said, "You think I'm bad. We'd need to have North drag her out of here and force her to do laps."

"Like hell North could force her to do anything."

York nodded his agreement after a moment of thought. "Good point. Connie, then. She could make South do anything if she batted her eyelashes."

Carolina reached over and plucked the last bite of brownie from between York's fingers. "She's obviously head over heels for Connie, of course that would work," she said, before putting the delicious chocolate in her mouth.

"Hey!" York scowled at her with a look of offense as she swallowed the brownie. "I wasn't finished with that, you know."

"I know," Carolina smirked as she stood up, grabbing both of their paper plates to throw away. York folded his arms and looked grumpily at her as she tossed the plates in the trash can. "Oh, come on you big baby."

York stood up, purposefully scraping his chair against the floor to annoy Carolina. She rolled her eyes at his childishness, trying not to swear at him in a public setting. As she grabbed her purse, getting ready to leave, Carolina's ears perked up at the sound of a familiar song playing on the small speaker system.

She turned around to give Kimball a grin. "Is this Walk the Moon?"

Kimball looked up from the plate of cupcakes she was frosting to give her a confused look. "Yes, it is. Why?"

Carolina nodded toward the general direction of the speakers. "They're my favorite band. You have a good taste in music."

"So do you," Kimball smiled back and returned the wave that Carolina gave her as the two of them walked out the door of the cafe.

As Carolina turned back around to walk down the sidewalk, York stared at her with a smirk. "Yeah, Carolina. You are so incredibly straight, it's disgusting."

"Oh, shut up, York. I can't even talk to another girl without you saying that I'm gay." She shook her head, but the smile on her face betrayed her fondness for her best friend and his theories about her sexuality.

York quickened his pace to walk beside her. "Not gay. More like bi or pan or something like that."

"Thanks for letting me know what I am, York."

York laughed and held his hands up in a gesture that he would back off. "Always happy to help."

"Speaking of being incredibly gay, are North and Wash still coming over tonight?" Carolina glanced over to watch as York smiled at the mention of his boyfriends.

"Yeah," York replied, "Is that okay?"

Carolina bumped York with her shoulder in a gesture of affection. "Of course, just don't be too loud. Remember that my room is next to yours."

York snorted. "Hey, if I get laid tonight, the last thing I'm going to be worried about is being noisy. I'll mostly be concentrated on making Wash-"

"Oh my God, forget I said anything," Carolina cut him off before York could finish his sentence. York just grinned at her in response.

~*~

Carolina poked her head out of her room and glanced over to wear the three boys were sitting on the couch. York was loudly complaining about an unfair move that North had pulled during the last round of Smash. As quietly as she could, Carolina snuck out of her room and dashed to the kitchen, nearly slipping on the tile floor with her sock covered feet. After she regained her balance, Carolina pulled open the fridge to grab a beer from the top shelf.

She retreated back to her room, shutting her door softly behind her. She grabbed her pocket knife off of her desk and popped the cap off her drink in one practiced motion. With a heavy sigh, Carolina sat back down on the end of her bed and took a long drink from the beer.

When she finally came up for air, Carolina turned her attention back to the photos she had been looking at before the need for a drink had arisen. She shifted the cold bottle to her left hand and picked up the photograph that was on top of the pile.

Her mother grinned up at her, laughing at something unseen. She was young, the years barely showing on her face. The wind was blowing strands of blonde hair that had managed to get loose from her ponytail in her face. She looked so at ease and unaware of what was to come that it made Carolina's heart ache.

Before she could dwell on the picture too long, she set it aside and moved on to the next one. A younger, blonder version of Carolina was struggling to keep a sand castle from falling apart while a chubby toddler with black hair threw fistfuls of sand at their father. Carolina couldn't help but snort at the disgusted expression on her father's face as sand got in his mouth.

As the shifted the fond memory out of the way, Carolina giggled at the image below it. A gap toothed York was smiling wider than she had ever seen as Carolina played with a small kitten. She put it aside to show to York later, then buried a photograph of her getting a bath underneath the rest.

The next picture was much older than the others. The corners were worn down and there was a smudge in the bottom left. A pair of parents were smiling down at a tiny bundle in their arms with tears in their eyes. They both looked exhausted, but happier than Carolina had ever seen either of them.

Emotions that she couldn't quite describe welled up inside of her. Before she could stop herself, she wiped the pile of pictures onto the floor. She finished off the drink and stepped around the mess to turn off her light.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for taking so long with this update! Writer's block got to me with this one, but I have a bunch of ideas for the coming chapters

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first multi chapter fic that I've attempted, so please bear with me as I work everything out. I hope you guys liked the first chapter!


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